Silicone elastomer particles and aqueous dispersions of silicone elastomers have been used for a purpose of providing a smooth or soft feeling to cosmetics. Silicone elastomer particles scatter light and, therefore, makeup cosmetics, such as foundations, containing the silicone elastomer particles, provide natural finish without artificial gloss.
Usually, silicone elastomer particles used for cosmetics have a crosslinking structure formed by an addition reaction of vinylsilyl groups and hydrosilyl groups in the presence of a platinum group metal catalyst. Spherical particles or dispersions of the particles is prepared in a method comprising steps of emulsifying a liquid silicone mixture comprising a silicone having vinylsilyl groups and a silicone having hydrosilyl groups in water with a nonionic surfactant and, then, subjected to an addition reaction in the presence of a platinum group metal catalyst to cause crosslinking. There is a problem such that at the time of the reaction or over time, the polyether moiety of the nonionic surfactant is oxygenated by an effect of the platinum group metal catalyst to cause odor. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei-11-217444 describes the method where a compound which decreases the catalyst activity of a platinum group catalyst is contained in silicone rubber particles obtained as mentioned above.